Experienced freelance marketing support, with a practical, straight forward approach.

I’m Marie Hanby, a freelance marketeer based in Doncaster, supporting businesses across Yorkshire and throughout the UK. I work with businesses that need experienced marketing support without the cost or commitment of a full-time marketing team, from strategy and planning through to social media, SEO, Google Ads and everything in between.

With more than 30 years of marketing experience across B2B and B2C, I’ve learnt that good marketing isn’t about following every new trend. It’s about understanding the business, knowing the audience and making marketing actually work for you.

I didn’t exactly have a five-year career plan…

At 14, I got a weekend job in a local shop and was the first of my friends to start earning. When I left school, I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do. I reluctantly enrolled at college, but after six months I realised it wasn’t for me.

I told my parents I wanted to take a gap year. They laughed (rightly so) and started circling office jobs in the local newspaper.

So I typed my first job application on a typewriter (my only real ambition at the time was to type fast!) and sent it off.

I got the job, which was on reception at a family-run business. My employer encouraged me to continue my education and supported me through my degree while I worked full-time. I ended up staying with the business, across its different companies, for more than 20 years.

It was a brilliant foundation. I learnt every aspect of how a business works, not just marketing, and that experience has shaped the way I work today.

Learning to embrace change.

When my children were a little older, it was time for a new challenge. After more than 20 years with the same familiar faces, moving on was pretty scary.

What surprised me was just how transferable my skills were.

I moved from B2B construction into B2C real estate, and then into SaaS. Completely different industries, but the fundamentals of good marketing remained the same.

Each move meant learning something new, but the foundations I had built made it easier. And that’s something I’ve carried with me throughout my career: you don’t need to know everything about an industry to market it well. You need to be curious enough to learn it.

The photo below was when I left after 20 years with John and Marie Hills, who had given me my first opportunity and supported me throughout those early years. I’m incredibly grateful to both of them and over the years, they became much more than employers, they became like family. Leaving was a difficult, but the experience, knowledge and confidence I gained with them has stayed with me throughout my career.

Finally going freelance.

I’ve always wanted to work for myself, but leaving the financial security of a full-time job felt like too big a leap.

Then redundancy made the decision for me. The job market was manic, marketing job descriptions seemed to be getting longer while salaries were going the other way, and someone in my network asked if I’d do a bit of freelance work for them while I was job hunting.

That “bit of freelance work” snowballed. Within six months I had a full client list and was putting clients onto retainers so I could manage the workload properly.

One of the things I’m most proud of is where those clients have come from. Around 80% have been past employers and customers or suppliers of businesses I’ve worked with. Others have come through referrals, recommendations or someone taking the time to have a conversation with me and put my name forward.

Marketing that matters.

Going freelance has given me the confidence to back myself. I bring more than 30 years of marketing experience, but I’ve also had to evolve constantly. When I started out, the digital marketing landscape we have today didn’t even exist. I’ve learnt, adapted and kept moving with it.

Working with a range of clients and industries means I get to share ideas, see what works in one environment and apply that thinking somewhere completely different. And while I’m very much a one-person business, I’m lucky to have a small network of specialist freelancers I’ve worked with for years who I can bring in when a project needs additional expertise.

And when I’m not marketing…

I work remotely, so I make a conscious effort to get away from my desk.

I’m usually trying to squeeze in a gym class, getting outdoors, reading, or spending time with my family and friends. Really, I just like a good balance of work, people and getting outside.

And that’s probably what I like most about being freelance, I get to do work I genuinely enjoy, with people I like working with, in a way that works for me.

If you think we might work well together, I’d love to hear from you.